Name of PEEL Procedure: G19, Brainstorm to Project
1) Summary of Procedure: This procedure involves taking a stimulus of some kind and having students create a project based on the stimulus. It can be good to have the students brainstorm to project a fun stimulus (such as candy) before introducing the stimulus for a class project. After choosing your stimulus, there are three steps students follow: 1. The first is for students to find the most physics they can in the stimulus 2. The second is for students to choose one, or a related few, of their ideas from step one to design a project around 3. The third is for students to write criteria they would use to make a great project
Students may find it useful to organize their thought in chart form like so:
Physics in stimulus
Design a project
Criteria for project
Candy bar
Energy
(Peel Publications, 2009)
2) Strengths and weaknesses of Procedure:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Students have sense of autonomy and ownership in designing their own project
Students may choose criteria that is too simple for their grade level
Has students relate curriculum to out of school interests if they choose
Students must have a good grasp of the material being taught to develop a good project
If done in pairs, students can bounce ideas off one another to develop good criteria
(Peel Publications, 2009)
3) Explanation why this is beneficial to student learning: When students are given strategies to brainstorm ideas, it helps them organize and retrieve prior knowledge. This method allows students to be relaxed when going through a fun example and then has them at ease when brainstorming a more difficult topic. When students work in pairs, their ideas grow. They will also be more interested in the project if they have set the parameters themselves.
4) 3 examples of the procedure: a. SPH4C (Grade 12 College Physics). Students brainstorm and come up with a project that involves two forms of energy transformations in groups of two which they then work on over the course of the unit and present to the class.
b. SPH3U (Grade 11 University Physics). Students are given the topics ‘their favourite animal’ and ‘energy and society’. Students come up with projects about energy and society to present to the class.
c. SND1D (Grade 9 Academic Science, physics unit). Students are given the topics ‘Justin Beiber’ and ‘conductors and insulators’. Students carry out the project on conductors and insulators. The teacher may require students to bring in a demonstration that must be included in their presentation.
5) Curricular expectation for each example: a. SPH4C, E2.4 design and construct a complex device that integrates energy transformations, and analyse its operation in qualitative and quantitative terms
b. SPH3U, D1.2 assess, on the basis of research, how technologies related to nuclear, thermal, or geothermal energy affect society and the environment (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008)
c. SNC1D, E2.4 plan and carry out inquiries to determine and compare the conductivity of various materials (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008)
6) How each example is related to student’s lives: a. If students find a good basis for how energy is transformed, they may use this knowledge to further their work in the subject at college. If they go into a program such as an electrician’s program, this knowledge will serve them well.
b. By thinking about energy and the society, hopefully students will realize that not everyone in the world has the benefits we have and will think about how they can reduce energy consumption in their lives.
c. From which coat to wear in the winter to what type of glass will keep your drink the coldest in the summer, students will benefit from the knowledge of good insulators and good conductors.
Written by Amy Kelland
Works Cited
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12 Science. Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10 Science. Queen's Printer for Ontario.
1) Summary of Procedure:
This procedure involves taking a stimulus of some kind and having students create a project based on the stimulus. It can be good to have the students brainstorm to project a fun stimulus (such as candy) before introducing the stimulus for a class project. After choosing your stimulus, there are three steps students follow:
1. The first is for students to find the most physics they can in the stimulus
2. The second is for students to choose one, or a related few, of their ideas from step one to design a project around
3. The third is for students to write criteria they would use to make a great project
Students may find it useful to organize their thought in chart form like so:
2) Strengths and weaknesses of Procedure:
3) Explanation why this is beneficial to student learning:
When students are given strategies to brainstorm ideas, it helps them organize and retrieve prior knowledge. This method allows students to be relaxed when going through a fun example and then has them at ease when brainstorming a more difficult topic. When students work in pairs, their ideas grow. They will also be more interested in the project if they have set the parameters themselves.
4) 3 examples of the procedure:
a. SPH4C (Grade 12 College Physics). Students brainstorm and come up with a project that involves two forms of energy transformations in groups of two which they then work on over the course of the unit and present to the class.
b. SPH3U (Grade 11 University Physics). Students are given the topics ‘their favourite animal’ and ‘energy and society’. Students come up with projects about energy and society to present to the class.
c. SND1D (Grade 9 Academic Science, physics unit). Students are given the topics ‘Justin Beiber’ and ‘conductors and insulators’. Students carry out the project on conductors and insulators. The teacher may require students to bring in a demonstration that must be included in their presentation.
5) Curricular expectation for each example:
a. SPH4C, E2.4 design and construct a complex device that integrates energy transformations, and analyse its operation in qualitative and quantitative terms
b. SPH3U, D1.2 assess, on the basis of research, how technologies related to nuclear, thermal, or geothermal energy affect society and the environment (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008)
c. SNC1D, E2.4 plan and carry out inquiries to determine and compare the conductivity of various materials (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008)
6) How each example is related to student’s lives:
a. If students find a good basis for how energy is transformed, they may use this knowledge to further their work in the subject at college. If they go into a program such as an electrician’s program, this knowledge will serve them well.
b. By thinking about energy and the society, hopefully students will realize that not everyone in the world has the benefits we have and will think about how they can reduce energy consumption in their lives.
c. From which coat to wear in the winter to what type of glass will keep your drink the coldest in the summer, students will benefit from the knowledge of good insulators and good conductors.
Written by Amy Kelland
Works Cited
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12 Science. Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10 Science. Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Peel Publications. (2009). PEEL in Practice. Retrieved December 2010, from PEEL Project for Enhancing Effective Learning: http://peelweb.org/index.cfm?resource=pip